Spice Girls Witness Triumphant Debut of 'Viva Forever'

The Spice Girls witnessed a triumphant opening night of new musical 'Viva Forever' - based on their songs - in London.

Published

6 months ago

Categories

Entertainment

Topics

Celebrity

People

Victoria Beckham, David Beckham, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown, Joanna Lumley, Melanie Chisholm

Places

London, United Kingdom

Tags

spice girls

Transcript

It's almost as if Spicemania had never left us ... and it was back with a bang on Tuesday night (December 11) at London's Piccadilly Theatre. Along, of course, with those who created it in the first place. Scary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger and Posh reunited on stage to celebrate the debut of new West End musical "Viva Forever", which is based on the Spice Girls hits. SOUNDBITE: Melanie Chisholm, saying (English): "Thank you all for being here but I think the people we'd like to thank is the wonderful cast. Thank you very much. An incredible, incredible job." Ahead of the show the girls arrived on the red carpet. Mel B, Mel C, Gerry and Emma came as a group, while Ms B was joined by her four men, husband David and the boys Romeo, Brooklyn, and Cruz . And if they were full of anticipation beforehand, the girls could hardly contain their excitement at the after party. SOUNDBITE: Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Chisholm, And Melanie Brown, saying (English): Emma Bunton: "Oh my god, the cast was amazing and our families loved it." Reporter: "Did it bring back memories?" Geri Halliwell: "It does and then the songs do and the energy is brilliant. Amazing." Emma Bunton: "It was such a good show that sometimes I just sat back and thought these are our songs but it didn't... it was amazing." "Absolutely Fabulous" actress Joanna Lumley seems to have caught the Spice bug, too. SOUNDBITE: Joanna Lumley, British actress, saying (English): "It was really really thrilling. I'm so proud, I'm so thrilled and so taken by it all. It was very touching and the reception at the end and the songs at the end. It was just fantastic. The pavements are still throbbing." While 'Viva Forever' isn't based on the story of The Spice Girls, writer Jennifer Saunders has used the group's music to build a narrative around a girl who enters a talent show contest, and ultimately has to choose between fame and her friends. Depite the cheers from the audience, critics on Wednesday, though, have been less kind.